Just Ask Read Free

aggravates me, and I suppose I've made her mad more than once too. But most of the time I don't know what I'd do without her. I guess she's the closest thing to a sister I'll ever have.
    I paused to run my hand over the smooth surface of the hood. Carl had just waxed and detailed everything, and even though it was four years old, it looked like it could've been on a showroom floor. “I hope so,” I told her. “Dad and I are going to try it out tomorrow.”
    “You are so lucky,” she said in what sounded like a slightly jealous voice.
    “Hey, you'll get to ride in it too.”
    She brightened then. “Oh, yeah. That's true. Okay, then I hope you get it, Kim. I'll be praying really hard that your parents will agree.”
    Now this is one area where Natalie and I seriously part ways. I mean, she is so into this whole church, God, and praying thing, but I try not to let this get to me. And after this one ripsnorting disagreement last spring, I think she learned that it's wise to watch what she says around me.
    “Thanks,” I told her. “Maybe I'll get it in time to drive us to school the first day.”
    “That'd sure beat driving my old Toyota,” she said. Natalie's dad left this cruddy old pickup behind when he walked out on his wife and three kids last year.
    “Which reminds me,” she said. “Do you want to go to the mall with me today? I just got paid, and I still need to get a couple of things for school.”
    “I guess.” I reluctantly turned away from my dream Jeep. “But I don't see why you bother to get new clothes for school, Nat. What difference does it make if you wear something old or something new?”
    She laughed as she glanced down at my old sweats. “I just keep hoping you're going to figure that one out, Kim.”
    As usual I rolled my eyes at her, hopefully avoiding another you-have-absolutely-no-fashion-sense lecture. Yeah, whatever.
    So it was settled that we'd go around two. In the meantime, I needed to practice my violin and then answer some more of these crazy letters. My dad just e-mailed me a whole new bunch today. But as I read through them, I'm beginning to wonder if these are really for real.
    I mean, some of them are just totally bizarre. Like this one letter from a girl who's all bent out of shape because her little brother dressed up her male Chihuahua like a ballerina. And now she's worried that her dog might have a complex. Give me a break! Like a dog dressed in drag is going to need canine counseling or something.
    Well, I don't think I'll even answer that one. That is, unless Tuesday's column needs a little comic relief. And considering some of the other heavier topics, it justmight. Like this one letter I saved for last, since I had to call one of my resources for some additional input.
    Dear Jamie,
       My parents split up a few years ago. My dad moved away with his new girlfriend who's like only twenty, and I haven't heard from him since. My mom works at a minimum-wage job and couldn't even pay rent and stuff if I didn't help her from my job, which actually pays better than hers. And I didn't really mind helping either, but now she has this new jerk of a boyfriend who moved in with us. He doesn't even have a job and is a total loser. Not only does he eat all our food and make big messes, but he's been putting the move on me lately. I'm only sixteen, but I think I could make it on my own, and I've heard that kids can divorce their parents. What do you think? Should I divorce my mom?
       Fed Up
    Dear Fed Up,
       
Wow, I can see why you're frustrated. First of all I think you should talk to your mom and tell her what you're considering. But if she refuses to kick the loser boyfriend out, you should probably check out some other alternatives. According to my resources, you may not need to go as far as divorcing your mom (and it sounds kind of expensive). But you should make an appointment with a Family Services counselor and
explain what's going on. And if you have another